Etiwanda Fire: 1,000 acres, 10 percent contained
RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. (KABC) -- The Etiwanda Fire, which burned about 1,000 acres north of Rancho Cucamonga and damaged one structure, is 10 percent contained on Thursday morning.
Crews are bracing for another day of strong Santa Ana Winds, as well as temperatures that could climb to triple digits.
The blaze is located near the North Etiwanda Preserve. U.S. Forest Service officials say crews building containment lines around the blaze are focusing on the fire's west edge, where structure protection is in place.
The fire broke out in Day Canyon north of Etiwanda just after 8 a.m. Wednesday, a day when conditions were just right for a wildfire to burn out of control: low humidity, hot temperatures and strong winds gusting up to 100 mph.
"We just dealt with this just a few years ago with the Grand Prix Fire," said Jenna Zwerner of Rancho Cucamonga. "Now when you look up here, and you look at this field with all that black smoke, you just think, 'Why does this keep happening?'"
Two firefighters were injured in the fire fight, but details of those injuries were not immediately available.
When flames moved close to foothill neighborhoods, residents were told to evacuate their homes. Some people stayed behind to soak their property with garden hoses as an extra line of defense.
"I was kind of praying and just trusting God, but I was trying to do some precautionary things as well to try to keep the house as moist as I could out there with some of the dry areas and the trees," said Lori Fleurant of Rancho Cucamonga.
Fleurant unloaded her SUV Thursday morning. She had packed clothing, important documents and photos, but she and her husband stayed put and took turns watching the fire.
"About midnight, we saw some flames in the back, but they were able to take care of those pretty much, and then around 5 this morning, I woke up and I didn't see too many trucks, so I kind of assumed we were out of harm's way," Fleurant said.
Winds prevented the use of water-dropping helicopters or air tankers, and officials say they have not been able to survey the area from the air to get a more precise figure on the number of acres burned.
A mandatory evacuation order has been lifted, but voluntary evacuations remained in place north of Hillside Road from Haven Avenue to Milliken Avenue.
An evacuation center for people and animals was set up at Central Park on Baseline Road and Milliken Avenue in Rancho Cucamonga. Small animals can be taken to Animal Center at 11780 Arrow Route in Rancho Cucamonga.
Road closures include Etiwanda Avenue between Banyan Street and the north city limit and Day Creek Boulevard between Banyan Street and the Northern C.
At least 580 personnel from the U.S. Forest Service, CAL FIRE, Ranch Cucamonga Fire Protection District and San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department are assisting in the firefighting efforts.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.
School closures for Thursday:
- Los Osos High School
- Rancho Cucamonga High School
- Etiwanda High School
- Day Creek Intermediate School
- Caryn Elementary School
- Golden Elementary School
- Banyan Elementary Schools
- Alta Loma Christian High School
- Chaffey College
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
